Troop News

Thanks to Mr. Phillips, Mr. Crabtree, Mr. Branin, Mr.Scott, and Chief Cole we had a good representation at the Round Table tonight and all have their certifications for Merit Badge Counselor.

What the BSA wants is for all the merit badge counselors we have in the Troop to be certified with a thirty minute or so course, as well as having certification with Youth Protection.

Mrs. Kidd is going to do both of these certifications with the help of Mr. Simon's technology at our Planning Conference on January 8..the time to be announced ( probably in the early afternoon.) All of you who are merit badge counselors in the Troop ( you can see where I have signed you up on the Troop merit badge counselor list on our web site for starters) need to be at the Planning Conference in January to have this not-much- more than an hour or so training behind us so we can be where we need to be in terms of our certification and Youth Protection. Unfortunately, this is an annual requirement, inclusive of two blank forms for us to fill out each time.

Mr. Nevin and Mr. Scott...you may as well invite all of the new parents coming in from WEBELOS to attend this also as to save us the repetition in the Spring as YP will be required of them before they can register..and soon thereafter as they become Counselors for us.


If you are a leader and can help out by becoming a merit badge counselor in the Troop, if you are not now, please plan on attending the January 8 training...

Remember... in order to be registered as a leader in the Troop, you have to have your Youth Protection Training updated every two years with a copy of it in Mrs. Kidd's Leader's Training Records book. If you can't make the January 8 training you can go to:myscouting.org for being certified with YP. You will have to listen to Mrs. Kidd for the merit badge counselor training as it is not on line.

Finally, we have to have our 2011 annual registration fee of $30.00 per Scout and $15.00 per leader in to Mr. Steve Frost by the end of December. The Scout is also going to need his annual physical form ready for summer camp with all the included pages filled out and attached..there are no exceptions to the rule for this and he won't be able to go without it.

Cehck Mr. Frost's address from the Troop Roster.

Remember the Dates for Summer Camp are June 12-18, 2011. I believe the cost is $205 ( to be announced) and Mr. Simon will be calling for the first payments or pay the total if you want in "February." to assure our reservation.

For those interested, the Winter Camporee 2011 is on line on the Greater Alabama Council Web Site. Mr. Simon will get around to putting a copy of it on our own Troop Web site shortly.

The Tree Lot:

We need an electrician to look at our first string of lights over the white pines to see what the problem is.. (they) have checked for bulbs and loose ends to no avail so far.

Please don't drop your son off at the lot if there are no adults present...they cannot be there without leader supervision..If you are going to be late make sure the team leader has that type of problem taken care of...Please remember, Scouts are not permitted to use the chain saws, even with leader supervision. They can use the tree hole punch, but only with adult supervision.

Saturdays are busy days for us at the lot..sometimes overwhelming.....if you and your son can come out and work some extra time that would really help out the crew on duty...same for Sunday afternoon.

If for the worst reason you don't open the lot due to sever weather conditions, or you do not make any sales that night, call Mr. Oliver so he won't have to make the pick up trip.

Please remember that all the equipment we use has to be locked up. Make sure the lock is locked and set on odd numbers to discourage an easy pick by a vandal. During the day on Saturday or Sunday, except for the marquis, the lot lights should be off to save on power.

When you take the lock off the hasp at the beginning of your shift, please lock it back on the hasp, so it can be readily found by the person locking for the night.

There are some Scouts still showing up ill prepared for the cold or rain. Please double check to make sure he is dressed for the weather as the four hours he is there doesn't have to be cold or wet for him in enduring the shift.

By the way..Mr. Smith is at home with light duty for the next couple of weeks recuperating from his surgery. He is doing fine and again said thanks to all for the card the Troop sent. His appetite has returned and he will be watching the game on Saturday.

Please remember to make sure the Scout shows up for his picture Monday in the class A uniform for the Troop Composite. It won't be complete without him.

Thanks for all your support and assistance in making the lot work as well as it is and for the spirit in assuring that it will.

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"